It was a good run. Six years worth of writings, you know?
That counts for something. I hope my posts will continue to help folks like
you out. I really do.
But times have changed. Things will have changed in your
life too over the past few years. Heck, probably even since the beginning of this year. Time waits for no man, and
change rolls in as sure as the tide under the moon’s pull. Excuse the water analogies
– I’m sat watching the sea lap at rock’s edge right now. What you gonna do?
A full time job became a major part of my life in May. I
started ten days after my last graduate school exam, and spent until the end of
August trying to balance moving home, starting over, the new job in
advertising, and writing my thesis. It was a fun summer, a hard summer. Like
something from a novel where the heroine grows from it all, but not without
acquiring a few scratches along the way. Then it hit me.
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| University College London in the golden summer evening light |
I’ve had FSA in the back of my mind since the start of 2015.
I’ve wanted to get back to posting more. I’ve written a few short bits, and
I’ve promised a lot more. But it never happened. Time is man’s most precious
resource, and you’d best spend it wisely. I’ve found myself wandering around
the British Museum, drinking coffee in train stations with beloved friends, and
working on my start-up in the free time I’ve had away from school and work. I
did not find myself thinking about, or sitting down to write about, skating.
It’s as simple as that.
To my earlier point of time being the most important of the
things which we feel possession over in our everyday lives, I’ve come to the
conclusion that I need to draw a line under writing for FSA. Because I’m not
skating anymore, I feel like I don’t have anything fresh to bring to the blog,
and I don’t feel inspired to write about the sport from the practical
standpoint which I have taken since FSA opened in 2009. And that’s okay.
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| A little of London - the Renaissance Hotel at King's Cross |
I won’t lie, it hurt at first. It still does. It feels like
maybe quitting writing here means skating really is over for me. In every
single way. But it’s time for me to take the time I would have spent writing
here, and go on a new adventure. As you may or may not have picked up over the
past months if you follow the blog or indeed the Facebook page, I’m founding a
skincare brand. As a biologist, I’m hugely excited about using science to build
awesome products. And right now, that needs all of my focus. I’d like to
finally learn how to bake great cookies too, and I’d like to learn how to take
better photos. I’m taking Pilates, and hopefully I’ll run another 10km circuit
before the end of the year. Aspirations change and grow with you. I’m excited
for the future.
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| With my business partner earlier this year winning some nice bits and bobs for the skincare company |
I’m not closing FSA – frankly it gets a good amount of traffic,
so I take this as an indication that the content found here is somewhat useful
to some folks out there. I hope it is to you.
The low-down is as follows:
- There will be no new posts going forwards
- The blog will remain at www.figureskatingadvice.com
- The Facebook page will remain open for the time being, but I may close it in the future
- I will not reply to messages received either through the blog or Facebook page going forwards
- The blog will continue to serve Google ads, and the revenue from any clicks made on those ads helps me to pay the domain name and keep the blog at its current URL
Thanks for reading.
Happy skating,
Gigi
XOXO
Gigi thanks so much for your efforts and writings on this blog! All blog writers eventually reach the end of their productive content, sigh. A little idea I've tried on mine is to recycle (and re-edit) old posts, say once a month (that way the blog stays fresh in search engine rankings). Also I still discover that once a year or so, while sitting at a competition, something new will pop into my mind (so yikes, a new post)!
Reply DeleteAnd keep on writing (even if not on FSA)!! You have a lot of patience in describing things so your efforts are always valued.
Your friend,
Jeff
L.A. SkateDad
Dear Gigi! I love your way of writing too, and I'm sad to see you are moving on from skating, exactly at the moment when I'd like to move "in" :-) Well, that's just life! Nevertheless have fun doing all the new things and I wish you all the success in your new company! So inspiring to see a young women going for her dreams :-)
Reply DeleteI'll be a regular coming back for advice, as the season is just starting for me, so thank you for letting the blog live a little longer!
Icy greetings with warm chocolate milk,
Ildikó from Delft
Life is awesome when loving person stay with you. Nice post, thanks for sharing with us.
Reply Delete